Estado Novo

The Estado Novo ("New State" in Portuguese) was the corporatist authoritarian government of Portugal that existed from 1933 to 1974, under the leadership of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar and the National Union of Portugal. It stood for nationalism, traditional Catholic morality (as described in the Estado Novo motto "God, Fatherland, and Family"), and maintaining control over economic forces for guiding the country's development. Salazar also wanted to maintain Portugal's centuries-old empire and persisted in doing so even after other European powers had accepted decolonization. It is often compared to and regarded as Fascism, but there were notable differences than from the governments of Franco's Spain or Mussolini's Italy. It stood more so for Catholic traditionalism, and Salazar criticized Mussolini for being more of a pagan. Members of Estado Novo supported such ideas as monarchism, nationalism, and corporatism, and fiercely opposed communism, anarchism, and liberalism. The hardships of the Portuguese Colonial War—fighting against insurgents in Portuguese Africa—of the 1970s brought about the Carnation Revolution in 1974, a military coup by left wing officers in the Portuguese Army. That ended the Estado Novo and brought about democratic reforms.